Schultz was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1982 and by special election to the Wisconsin Senate in 1991. Schultz was narrowly elected Senate Majority leader in 2004, but lost that post when Democrats took control of the Wisconsin Senate in 2006.
In 2011, Schultz was the only Senate Republican to vote against the Wisconsin budget repair bill which sparked the 2011 Wisconsin protests. Several Assembly Republicans voted against the bill as well. According to Schultz, he had intended to offer a compromise amendment to the bill, but Walker "decoyed" him, misleading him into leaving the Senate chamber.[1]
In January 2014, Schultz stated that he would not seek reelection, citing an increasingly partisan atmosphere.[2]
Just before the 2024 United States presidential election, Schultz was one of a number of Wisconsin Republicans who publicly endorsed Democratic Party nominee Kamala Harris over Republican Donald Trump. Explaining his endorsement, Schultz said, "I myself want to cast my lot with those folks who are [optimistic about] our future, not who are hung up on some sort of Mad Max scene that they see as a future for our country."[6]
Personal life and family
In their spare time, Schultz and his wife Rachel own and manage their family farm, which became a Wisconsin Century Farm in 1998. They have two children, Katie and Amanda. Schultz is a member of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau, the Masons, and the Lions Club.[7] Schultz is a licensed Wisconsin real estate broker and businessman who has interests in other businesses.